Sharife Cooper facts for kids
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Cooper in High School
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| No. 0 – Aris Thessaloniki | |
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| Point guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 11, 2001 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| High school | McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 176 lb (80 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Auburn (2020–2021) |
| NBA Draft | 2021 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48th overall |
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
| Pro career | 2021–present |
| League | GBL EuroCup |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2022 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2021–2022 | →College Park Skyhawks |
| 2022–2024 | Cleveland Charge |
| 2024 | Liaoning Flying Leopards |
| 2024 | Merkezefendi |
| 2024–present | Aris Thessaloniki |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Sharife Omar Cooper (born June 11, 2001) is an American professional basketball player. He plays as a point guard for Aris Thessaloniki in Greece. Before becoming a professional, Sharife played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers.
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High School Basketball Star
Sharife Cooper showed his amazing basketball skills early on. In his first year of high school (2016–17), he averaged 16 points and 4.4 assists per game. He helped his team, McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, win 29 games and lose only one! They even made it to the state semifinals.
The next year, he continued to lead his team. In December 2017, he scored an incredible 42 points in a game against a nationally ranked team. He even made the winning shot at the buzzer in overtime!
When he was a junior (2018–19), Sharife led McEachern to a perfect season, winning all 32 games! This was the first state title in the school's history. He averaged 27.2 points, 8.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.3 steals per game. After this amazing season, he was named USA Today All-USA Player of the Year and Mr. Georgia Basketball. He was also chosen to play in the 2020 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.
On May 6, 2021, Sharife's #2 high school jersey number was retired at McEachern. This honored him as the most successful male basketball player in the school's history.
Choosing a College
Sharife Cooper was a highly sought-after player by many colleges. He was considered one of the best young talents in his class. On September 27, 2019, he decided to play college basketball for Auburn University. He became the highest-ranked player to ever commit to Auburn's basketball program.
College Basketball Journey
Sharife Cooper missed the first 12 games of his freshman year at Auburn. This was because the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was checking his eligibility to play.
On January 9, 2021, he finally made his debut for Auburn. He scored 26 points and had nine assists in a game against Alabama. Just four days later, Sharife had his best game of the season, scoring 28 points and making 12 assists in a win against Georgia.
As a freshman, he averaged 20.2 points, 8.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game in the 12 games he played. He was recognized for his great performance by being named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team. On April 2, 2021, Sharife decided to enter the 2021 NBA draft, which meant he would not play any more college basketball.
Professional Basketball Career
Atlanta Hawks (2021–2022)
The Atlanta Hawks picked Sharife Cooper in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft as the 48th pick. On August 5, 2021, he signed a two-way contract with the Hawks. This meant he would split his time playing for the Hawks and their NBA G League team, the College Park Skyhawks.
He played for the Hawks in the 2021 NBA Summer League. In his first game, he scored 11 points and had 6 assists. Sharife made his official NBA debut in the Hawks' first game of the season against the Dallas Mavericks.
Cleveland Charge (2022–2024)
On September 20, 2022, Cooper signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he was later waived. On October 24, he joined the Cleveland Charge, which is a team in the NBA G League. Sharife was chosen to play in the G League's first-ever Next Up Game during the 2022–23 season.
In July 2023, Cooper played for the Cleveland Cavaliers again in the 2023 NBA Summer League. He later returned to play for the Cleveland Charge. In February 2024, he signed a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers, but he did not play in any games.
Liaoning Flying Leopards (2024)
On April 1, 2024, Sharife Cooper signed with the Liaoning Flying Leopards in China's Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He helped the Flying Leopards win the 2024 CBA championship! In the final game that secured the title, he scored 22 points, had nine assists, and grabbed six rebounds coming off the bench.
Yukatel Merkezefendi Belediyesi (2024)
On September 28, 2024, Cooper signed with Yukatel Merkezefendi Belediyesi in the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).
Aris Thessaloniki (2024–present)
On November 21, 2024, Cooper moved to the Greek club Aris for the rest of the season.
Personal Life
Sharife Cooper was born in Newark, New Jersey. His parents are Omar and Kindall Cooper. When he was about six years old, his family moved to the Atlanta area.
He has two sisters, Te'a and Mia. Both of his sisters also won state titles in basketball at McEachern High School. Te'a went on to play college basketball at Tennessee, South Carolina, and Baylor. She was then drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2020 WNBA draft. Sharife also has a twin brother named Omar.
See also
In Spanish: Sharife Cooper para niños
